1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an elastic member, and a method and a structure for attaching a sensor to a sensor attachment member by inserting a protruding portion of the sensor into a through hole of the sensor attachment member via the elastic member.
2. Related Arts
JP-A-6-160225 discloses a structure for attaching a sensor to a sensor attachment member. In the structure, a sensor housing of the sensor has a protrusion having a flange at a front end thereof. The protrusion of the sensor housing is fitted into a through hole of a boot, and is inserted into a through hole of the sensor attachment member along with the boot. Specifically, the external diameter of the boot at the front end thereof is larger than the internal diameter of the through hole of the sensor attachment member, so that the boot is forcibly inserted into the through hole of the sensor attachment member.
In this case, however, when the protrusion of the sensor housing is inserted into the through hole of the boot, it is necessary that the flange formed at the front end of the protrusion passes through the through hole of the boot forcibly expanding the through hole of the boot with a force having a relatively large intensity, thereby resulting in elastic deformation of the boot. In addition, when the thus inserted protrusion of the sensor housing and the boot are inserted into the through hole of the sensor attachment member, as mentioned above, because the external diameter of the boot at the front end thereof is larger than the internal diameter of the through hole of the sensor attachment member, the boot is elastically deformed so that the outer diameter thereof is reduced by a thrusting force to be substantially equal to the internal diameter of the thorugh hole of the sensor attachment member.
Accordingly, in the process of attaching the sensor to the sensor attachment member, the boot needs to be deformed twice by a force having a large intensity, thereby resulting in excess labor of a worker and an additional jig for for the attachment the sensor. Further, if the amount of deformation of the boot is considerably large, the bush may be damaged.